Watch Dogs Review

Undoubtedly enjoyable, but it won't linger long in the memory.

Neither the tragic failure some expected nor the introduction to a 'proper' next-gen others craved, Watch Dogs is instead best thought of as Ubisoft Open-World Game: Chicago Edition. As with other titles from the publisher – Far Cry and Assassin's Creed being the obvious examples – it is almost compulsively appealing, thanks to Ubi Montreal's tried and true onslaught of collectibles, missions, sidequests and other bite-sized reward loops.

Mechanically it destroys Assassin's Creed, boasting cohesive systems that empower rather than hinder the player. Over 30 or so hours, I was never bored. I was also never really thrilled. Crucially, Watch Dogs is let down by both its setting and its adherence to distinctly old-generation mission and world design.

This Chicago, while large and fairly dense, carries neither the historical intrigue and architectural splendour of Ass Creed, nor the exotic appeal of Far Cry. Conceptually this is fine: Watch Dogs' story focuses on malevolent corporations, abuse of power, social inequality and information security.

It's a morally dubious world, as are the characters within it. Chicago's inclement weather and contrast of bleak social housing and super-wealth seem perfectly set to back this up.

In practice, it's rather bland, if intricate, and doesn't have the graphical prowess to really impress. This problem should be solved by the hacking, a unique interface with the city. Again, however, this isn't as developed as it could have been: you'll blow out lights, hack road signs and lift bridges, but it never gets any more involved than that. Instead of having a reactive city that truly changes due to your actions, your hacking is a fun, if limited, score-settler rather than game-changer.

Not that this renders Watch Dogs a failure. It is not. Rather it's a game that reaches a baseline of enjoyment – and that baseline is fairly high – and doesn't raise it further. The mission loop is too samey – drive here, hack a few things, sneak/shoot out – and multiplayer is too throwaway to really affect much. You'll undoubtedly enjoy your time with it, but it won't linger long in the memory.

User Comments

I loved Black Flag and thought this was the one that was repetitive, not Black Flag in comparison.
I would wait till it's cheaper and been a bit more polished with a patch after playing the Xbox One version.

No idea how polished the PS4 version is but I don't like reviews done in an event after the whole Battlefield 4. Don't see why not they just issue promo copies like before.

Exactly what I expected. An enjoyable, by the numbers open world game, which doesn't offer anything new, but isn't broken either. Something that couldn't live up to the initial hype almost exactly 2 years from when it was originally released. Will get when cheaper.

I usually think Steve is pretty spot on so I will probably pass on this.

Posted 12:22 on 27 May 2014

essex1212

Finished the game last night and can pretty much agree with this review, very bland but the cover system is very annoying and driving is a pain on it.
Trying to hack a helicopter when in a car was just not possible in my play through which I thought was a shame.
The hacking gets boring very quickly as there is just not enough of it and the story was just as bland as the campaign.
Trying do the side missions but some of the side missions require you to drive over a target which the game is failing to see, meaning the mission is failing.
So at the moment for me the game is broken along with some screen tearing during the day.

It looks no where near as good as the original E3 demonstration

I played the Xbox One version and got it early from SimplyGames btw.

All in all a game I won't be playing again when I'm finished and wont care about getting the next game.

At the time of the delay I was hoping that the additional time would make for an extremely polished game and that if it would properly kick start next gen.

Well it clearly hasn't delivered and if the game was running perfectly well as claimed six months ago and all that was needed was topping off with cream I really don't know what this delay has achieved other than lose the game traction in the market.

When I first saw this game it looked good but in my mind drew comparisons to a mixture of Assassins Creed and Splinter Cell. Nothing has changed the game is pretty much AC in the future lending the cover system from splinter cell with an improved graphics engine and world creation.

Sometimes if not all of the time hype and razzmatazz caused by cleverly produced trailers and worked demos ultimately lead to disappointment. There are the odd occasions where all your hopes and dreams are realised but they are few and far between. I will still play Watch Dogs to its conclusion and undoubtedly get some enjoyment but I'll be left wondering what might of been.